Lawyers for a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 24-year-old Irish man in Vancouver two years ago say he should serve a two-to-three-year prison sentence, along with a five-year driving ban.
Alexandre Romero-Arata, 28, has pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death in the June 19, 2022, collision in Kitsilano that left Eoghan Byrne dead.
The court has already heard he had been drinking, hit speeds of up to 152 km/h and ran multiple red lights before fatally striking Byrne at the intersection of West 4th Avenue and Arbutus Street.
At the Vancouver Provincial Court on Monday, lawyer Sarah Leamon acknowledged the “circumstances of this offence are dreadful,” and that the consequences of the crash were “irreparable and absolutely devastating.”
Romero-Arata declined to speak to the court, but Leamon read a letter he wrote on his behalf, stating he was “deeply sorry for the loss you suffered as a result of my actions” and that “I am deeply remorseful and sad.”
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Byrne’s parents, who travelled from Ireland, were in the courtroom, with his father holding a framed picture of his son.
Leamon told the court that Romero-Arata grew up in an abusive home, and entered the foster care system at age 16, where he was “introduced to a bad lifestyle.”
The court heard he had struggled with substance abuse for much of his life, starting in adolescence, and was the grandson of a residential school survivor.
Romero-Arata’s defence also provided seven letters of support to the court, in which his mother described him as a “caring son,” his father called him an “inquisitive and affectionate young man,” and a friend called him “compassionate, genuine and sincere.”
That drew a question from Provincial Court Judge Reg Harris as to why none of the letters mentioned Romero-Arata’s previous antisocial behaviour, including criminal convictions.
“How do I square these letters with his sexual assault conviction and conviction for evading police?” Harris asked.
Leamon said the letters showed Romero-Arata’s commitment to rehabilitation and the support he has in the community, adding that this mother would give him a full-time job as a cleaner with her company upon his release.
The Crown made its sentencing submissions in October, and is seeking a five-year sentence and a five-year driving ban.
At those hearings, the court viewed video recorded by a passenger in Romero-Arata’s vehicle prior to the crash that showed him speeding, smiling and saying, “I ain’t stopping for no red light.”
The court heard that Romero-Arata fled the scene, and phoned 911 the following day to falsely report his car had been stolen the previous evening.
The court also heard a victim impact statement from the friend who was with Byrne when he was struck, who said “Eoghan completely disappeared before my eyes,” and, “I cried and screamed at the shock and horror of seeing my friend’s body destroyed.”
The court also previously heard how Romero-Arata’s driving record included 15 Motor Vehicle Act incidents in just 18 months, several of them after the fatal crash.
In December 2023, he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl three years ago.
Judge Harris is slated to deliver his sentence on Friday.
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